Health pass: the Senate votes for the exclusion of minors and terraces

The Senate, dominated by the right-wing opposition, this Saturday made several substantial changes to the health pass project, excluding minors in particular and reserving it for interior spaces, de facto exempting terraces in particular. An amendment, adopted during the first reading of the bill on new anti-Covid measures by the upper house, removed the mention "aged at least twelve years" provided for in this device to reserve it for "adults" .

This amendment tabled by LR senators, including Henri Leroy, had received an unfavorable opinion from the government, but also from the LR rapporteur of the Law Commission, Philippe Bas.

The senators also approved another amendment, from the socialist Marie-Pierre de La Gontrie, still against the advice of the government and the committee, reserving the obligation to present this pass only to "confined" interior spaces.

Postpone the pass until September 15

Other amendments change this flagship but controversial device intended to deal with the outbreak of contaminations by the delta variant. Thus, the senators want to postpone the implementation of this pass for public places from August 30 to September 15. The 50-person gauge for establishments open to the public (ERP) should according to them be calculated on the number of people present, not on the capacity of the place.

The president of the LR group in the Senate, Bruno Retailleau, had warned before the vote of these amendments against the "risk of doing nothing" by "multiplying the exceptions". Secretary of State Adrien Taquet, representing the government, had estimated that it would be "irresponsible to empty of its substance" this device. These provisions could be removed in a joint committee or in the continuation of the shuttle.